Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC provides assistance to seniors who need help with elder law issues. Elder law is a broad field of law. This area of law covers not just end-of-life issues like making a legacy plan using a last will and testament and other tools, but it also covers financial planning, incapacity planning, business planning, estate planning, and more.
If you want to achieve financial security for yourself or the people you love, an elder law attorney is a good resource who can help you. If you want to make plans to protect your assets and your autonomy in case of incapacity or serious illness or injury, an elder law is also able to assist you. Finally, if you want to make a legacy plan and determine who will inherit your money and property after you are gone, our team can assist with this process as well.
Getting personalized help from an elder law lawyer is the best thing that you can do if you want to ensure that your rights are respected and that you make good choices when it comes to planning and preparing for your future.
You cannot afford to make mistakes in connection with legal issues related to elder law because it will often be too late by the time those mistakes are covered since you cannot correct errors in your plan after you are incapacitated or after you passed away. Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC will provide the one-on-one assistance that you need to achieve your goals and make your plans for your future.
If you are interested in generally learning more about elder law and about the legal tools that could help you to make your plans, you can also review the resources that our legal team has put together below to help you get a basic understanding of the field of elder law and the ways in which you can make the law work for you.
Elder Law Resources in Montpelier and Throughout Vermont
There are many different resources that can help people of all ages to address elder law matters in Vermont. Elder law matters include financial planning, asset protection, incapacity planning, business planning, estate planning and more. Resources that can help you to understand applicable laws include:
- Caregiver list: Caregiver list provides research, information on senior care services, and details on state-by-state services for seniors. You can use Caregiver list to find details on prescription drug programs, nutrition programs for seniors, support groups, caregiver training, case management, support groups and more.
- The Central Vermont Council on Aging: This Council provides details on senior services, meals and nutrition, housing, senior centers, transportation, fuel assistance and other services that are offered to older people in Montpelier and throughout the state of Vermont.
- Vermont Statutes on Trusts: Title 14A of Vermont’s state statutes is the part of state law that addresses the creation of trusts and the use of trusts as part of an incapacity plan or asset protection plan.
- The Vermont Bar Association: The Vermont Bar Association provides a summary of some of the legal issues that you are most likely to face when you are making an estate plan or otherwise planning ahead for your future.
- The Vermont Secretary of State: The Secretary of State provides information on incorporation, as well as forms and paperwork which must be submitted if you wish to incorporate a business.
- Vermont’s Medicaid portal: You can find out at this website how Medicaid in Vermont works, what is covered, and why Medicaid coverage can matter to you.
- Vermont Medicaid information on Benefits.gov: Learning the rules for Medicaid qualification is vital, as Medicaid may be the only source of payments for many forms of medical care and so may prevent you from losing your life savings. Medicaid covers long term care and nursing home care for qualifying individuals, while most other types of insurance including Medicare do not provide this type of coverage.
While these resources can give you general background assistance and, in some cases, may be able to provide you with some help, there is no substitute for personalized legal advice that you could receive from elder law attorneys at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC.
General Elder Law Resources
In addition to Vermont-specific resources, there are also other resources that you can take advantage of to learn about elder law rules. Some of these resources include:
- IRS rules for Individual Retirement Arrangements: The IRS explains types of retirement accounts, benefits associated with the use of tax-advantaged retirement accounts, and rules for making contributions to retirement accounts that could help you to achieve more financial security in the future.
- Health and Human Services information on Medicaid and Medicare: You may come to rely on Medicare, Medicaid or both as you get older or if you become disabled. You need to learn what each of these different programs can cover, what you must do in order to become eligible for these programs, and how qualifying for coverage can protect you financially in case you have high medical bills or you need nursing home care.
You need to be cautious about the resources that you use when trying to learn about elder law and when making your plans. You do not want to use DIY will creation services or other DIY services that don’t provide you with the legal advice you need that is specific to your state and specific to your situation.
Getting Help from Elder Law Attorneys Who Serve the Montpelier Area
The elder law attorneys at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC can offer you personalized assistance with all of your elder law and estate planning goals. When you want to ensure you have made smart choices in planning ahead for your future, you should reach out to our legal team. You can learn about the services that we provide if you join us for a free seminar. You can also get personalized one-on-one help that we tailor to you, just give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online today.
